50 Beading of Papers. [Feb. 



" The soil was mar (black cotton) in a partly pulverised condition on 

 the surface. I shall be happy to furnish further particulars if the subject 

 has not been observed before, and is of interest. 



"Dr. King, the eminent botanist, was so kind as to reply to my letter- 

 and I take the liberty of quoting a portion of his letter : — 



" ' Your observations are of much interest. The phenomenon of torsion 

 in the appendages of seeds has been observed before, and an elaborate paper 

 on the mechanism of the torsion in seeds by Mr. Francis Darwin appeared 

 in the Linnsean Transactions in 1876. In that paper Mr. Darwin suggests 

 that the use of torsion to a seed may be to enable it to bury itself in the 

 soil. You have seen the seeds in the act of being buried, and it would be 

 of much interest if you continued your observations.' " 



The following papers were read : — 



1. The Bise and Progress of Bitddliism in Tliihet. — By Saeat 

 Chandra Das. 



2. The Lives of the Tas'i Lamas. — By Sarat Chandra Das. 

 These papers will be published in full in the Journal, Ft. I, for 1882. 



3. On the hahits of a little known lizard, Brachysaura ornata. — 

 By J. CocKBURN, Indian Museum. 



This paper begins with a resume of the literature relating to this 

 hitherto rare species of lizard. Its range as at present known is then dis- 

 cussed. A minute description of the reptile follows with measurements 

 and details of coloration. The author has been enabled to make a large 

 number of interesting observations on the habits of Brachysaura^ among 

 which may be mentioned the discovery of the erectile nature of the 

 tissue below the nuchal and dorsal crests and the faculty of voice. Per- 

 haps the most important of these remarks is the supposition that Brachy- 

 saura possesses a protective odour and taste. 



This paper will be published in the Journal, Pt. II, for 1882. 



